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Brintellix is not known for weight gain. It is one of the newer medications out there. I was on Cymbalta for 10 years and gained over 40 pounds. It took me over 6 months to withdraw from it and the process was hell. I won't ever take it again!!

On the "goal weight" topic - I gave up on my unrealistic pre-op goal weight a long time ago. Around the 18 month mark, when I hit my lowest weight, I realized that I was never going to get there and I was totally OK with that. During this process, this has become about so much more than a number on a scale. For 43 years I identified myself as the funny fat girl - I would make self-depricating remarks and people would laugh and I wouldn't let people know how unhappy, sad and full of self loathing I was. I would eat in private - I would actually look forward to when my husband and son would leave so I could eat. It was a horrible hell in which I lived. So, I was avoiding the 17 pound weight gain - If I didn't talk about it, it didn't happen. My jeans weren't THAT tight. My fear of going back to where I was 2 years ago, quite frankly, scared the **** out of me. After a few days of regaining control, with the help of the appetite suppressants, I'm not feeling like that any more. I feel like I'm working TOWARDS my goal of healthy living, not avoiding (there is not a number attached to that "healthy living" goal"). I mentioned above this process has become more than the number on the scale - I want to expound on that, especially for the newly sleeved or the pre-oppers. My life is wonderful. This process has made me a better person - I have found out I am stronger than I ever realized. I smile ALL THE TIME. I am genuinely happy. I've become more outgoing - I make it a goal when I travel to spend time talking to one random stranger daily - that has helped with shyness and has helped me come out of my shell. My husband and I have a great relationship - we did before surgery, but now it's more (not too much detail, but the physical aspect of our relationship is much better - that was my hangup not his). My son sees me as a role model for physical activity - we work out together, we go to hot yoga together, we cook together, our relationship is stronger. Work - that has been a wild ride. I went from wanting to quit my job 14 months ago, to getting a promotion and now being viewed a valued member of the executive team. That wouldn't have happened 75 pounds ago when I was perfectly happy giving my ideas away freely and not speaking up in meetings. I now walk into a conference room and take a seat at the table as opposed to sitting in the background with my back against the wall. I simply adore what you wrote about goals and how a goal weight is not what's important. I bounce around between 120 and as much as 129. My lowest weight was 112. The numbers are not not not important. What's important is how my life has changed for the better because I'm a normal size once again. I try to stay around the same weight because I want my clothes to not be tight, and I want to feel in control. Otherwise this is all about how my life has improved. No, it's not perfect, but it's so different than it was three years ago. I am happy and healthy for the most part. I do what I want and nothing stops me...not my size, not my mobility..or lack thereof. My three year anniversary is coming up and this is what I will write about. Thanks for providing the topic @McButterpants.

Wow - I didn't expect to come back to so many posts! I love it when a topic keeps going. A couple of things... My doctor and i had a very frank conversation - SHE asked me if I was interested in the suppressants. When I replied with, "I thought those days were over" (meaning, I thought my days of worrying daily about my weight were behind me - I was scared, because I do not want to go back to that miserable person I was two years ago). She said, "This could just be the jump start you need.", ie. a short term solution to get my head right again, get back on track and regain control. She also discussed exercising on a regular basis - "exercise is not an optional activity", she said. We talked about an eating plan which will also help with the appetite - trying to fit in 3 meals (food for Breakfast, lunch and dinner), 2 shakes and the Water has proven to be difficult. If nothing else, I'm more focused again and I do not feel helpless. I am, again, working on McButterpants. So she wasn't prescribing and I'm not taking the suppressants as any magic bullet or a long term solution - like a couple of people mentioned, it's a tool. On the "goal weight" topic - I gave up on my unrealistic pre-op goal weight a long time ago. Around the 18 month mark, when I hit my lowest weight, I realized that I was never going to get there and I was totally OK with that. During this process, this has become about so much more than a number on a scale. For 43 years I identified myself as the funny fat girl - I would make self-depricating remarks and people would laugh and I wouldn't let people know how unhappy, sad and full of self loathing I was. I would eat in private - I would actually look forward to when my husband and son would leave so I could eat. It was a horrible hell in which I lived. So, I was avoiding the 17 pound weight gain - If I didn't talk about it, it didn't happen. My jeans weren't THAT tight. My fear of going back to where I was 2 years ago, quite frankly, scared the $hit out of me. After a few days of regaining control, with the help of the appetite suppressants, I'm not feeling like that any more. I feel like I'm working TOWARDS my goal of healthy living, not avoiding (there is not a number attached to that "healthy living" goal"). I mentioned above this process has become more than the number on the scale - I want to expound on that, especially for the newly sleeved or the pre-oppers. My life is wonderful. This process has made me a better person - I have found out I am stronger than I ever realized. I smile ALL THE TIME. I am genuinely happy. I've become more outgoing - I make it a goal when I travel to spend time talking to one random stranger daily - that has helped with shyness and has helped me come out of my shell. My husband and I have a great relationship - we did before surgery, but now it's more (not too much detail, but the physical aspect of our relationship is much better - that was my hangup not his). My son sees me as a role model for physical activity - we work out together, we go to hot yoga together, we cook together, our relationship is stronger. Work - that has been a wild ride. I went from wanting to quit my job 14 months ago, to getting a promotion and now being viewed a valued member of the executive team. That wouldn't have happened 75 pounds ago when I was perfectly happy giving my ideas away freely and not speaking up in meetings. I now walk into a conference room and take a seat at the table as opposed to sitting in the background with my back against the wall. I appreciate everyone's input on this topic and the twists and turns this thread has taken - people are very passionate about how they feel and I dig that. Some people like to tell stories of "worst case scenarios" - I've never been into that and while I read them, I don't let them rent too much space in my head. I could drive down the highway at 75 miles an hour and have a head on collision with a semi - that's probably the worse case scenario. But I will say, that's not going to stop me from taking that drive and looking at the mountains and enjoying the view. Have a great weekend everyone!

I had my surgery yesterday. I lost almost 30 during my pre op diet. Why is it today my weight is up about 6 pounds? I've only had clear liquids and meds.

Just curious if I'm alone here. I started taking citalopram for anxiety a few years ago. I knew a potential side effect was weight gain. I'm guessing some gain weight because it mellows you out and takes away some of that energy that may keep one from exercising. Sure enough, I gained weight. . . Because of the citalopram or because I turned 40, not sure the cause. Anyway, I am 10 weeks post op and down from 280 to 215, and feeling great! I kind of assumed that my anxiety would go away with the extra weight, but I am finding that my stress and anxiety are still present and I am thinking about going back on citalopram because it really helped me with anxiety. But I don't want to slow down my weight loss as I am a consistent 3-4 pounds a week and don't want to slow down until I hit my 185 target. Any and all thoughts, experiences, and opinions, are welcome. Thanks!

Lol, you're right, you are allowed to ask anyone, just make sure you also ask your lady-doctor. You probably should not start taking oral contraceptives before surgery because they pose a risk for blood clots. After that it depends entirely on you. I would also personally not advocate for condoms that are non-latex- the failure rate is high and they are just not as effective. Some people are good with taking a pill everyday at the same time and never missing a dose- I am not. As such, I have been on depo, the shot, for my entire adult life (14 years-ish). I have a healthcare background so my doctor just writes me an annual prescription, I pick it up from the pharmacy every three months, and inject it IM in my glute. Easy, peasy, and you never have to have a period again. It can though take you up to a year to get pregnant after you are on depo for awhile and you should make sure you stop taking it for at least one year at some point before your mid-30's whiile taking Calcium supplements. Depo interferes with calcium absorption, but one year off of it, is enough for your body to catch up and you really have no long term related issues then. I love depo because I haven't had a time of the month in years, I only have to remember it every 3 months, and I have had no issues with it. Some people say it causes weight gain and mood instability. It makes you gain weight if you eat more, so if you don't eat more, you don't gain weight. I have been anywhere from 125-237 on depo and most weights in between- it has had nothing to do with gaining or losing weight for me. I have been at goal since April and still taking depo without a weight issue. Some people get cranky and depressed- I am just a general b*tch, so not sure if I have that side effect or not. Overall it's easy and you don't have to remember it often. You then have implant options, depending upon whether you've had kids in the past or if you want to have them anytime in the near future. You can also use the NuvaRing, which is just something you place yourself for 3 weeks and remove the last week during your time of the month. I have a friend who loved that. I believe they still also make the patch, which I have never used. There is also the female condom, which is a mess, not effective and generally a pia. I think you can still get a diaphragm, although I don't know anyone who uses them anymore. Also a mess and not very effective. You then have your array of spermicides and foams which combined with other methods are ok, but not good on their own. Overall, the best way to prevent against pregnancy is to use either a pill, patch, ring, or shot combined with a condom, every single time. Plenty of people swear by consistent use of only the female portion, but I like to make sure it's doubled up, lol. I don't need a crying baby anytime soon!

I would ask your gynecologist what it best. I know there are lots of options, I had an IUD in a long time ago which worked fine. It was removed when I had my tubal. The non-latex condom option could work, but clear that with your husband as he may not like the idea of having to wear a condom. Some people have a depovera shot, however, some experience weight gain from it.

I just gotta throw this out there. These drugs taken for appetite suppressant are not entirely "without serious side effects". Pherntermine is an amphetamine that has very similar effects on your heart and central nervous system as cocaine. Would you take cocaine to lose weight? At the very least, you are getting high each time you take one, and Long term use of appetite suppressants can result in convulsions, heart arrhythmias, heart disease, high BP, and death...even when taken at the prescribed dose. As for the antidepressants, my mom was rushed to the hospital twice for tachycardia and fainting. Turned out it was the anti anxiety medicine they prescribed for her. My younger brother died from a heart arrhythmia that the medical examiner attributed to the Adderall he was taking for ADHD. The amount in his blood stream was normal, therapeutic levels, but after an extensive autopsy and toxicology screen, that was the only plausible finding. He was 42. And, BTW, he was adopted so this is not a "genetic" thing. The other point I'd like to make is that appetite suppressants simply do not work as a long term weight loss solution. We KNOW this or we wouldn't have needed surgery. Sure, you'll feel great (why not, you're stoned) and lose a few pounds. But as soon as you stop taking them you are right back where you started, fighting your appetite and weight gain. Sure, drugs are another "tool" we can use, but all the tools in the world can't build a house without lumber. Our heads and ability to make good choices is the concrete foundation AND the lumber required for our lifetime fight with obesity. That is what we need to work on, not short term, temporary Patches.

Mine lasted about 2 hours. Did labs, EKG, told me everything that was going to happened. I was supposed to talk with the anesthesiologist but he was running behind and I didn't want to wait. I asked if they did a leak check but my doctor doesn't unless he felt there was reason for it. The one thing I would suggest packing was Chapstick for the hospital. I forgot that and really wish I would have had some. Good luck!!! Thank you meganmom! Everything went GREAT today!! I love my surgeon, he has the best bed side manner ever and despite the 10 pound weight gain, he told me to enjoy my Christmas and he would see me on the 28th. Going today has just made me even more excited about this life style choice I chose! All I did today as far as tests go was labs. He said he would do a leak test, get a sample of my liver (if its fatty or abnormal) and put a scope down my throat to check it but all that will be done while I'm under anesthesia. How are you doing? I am so glad it well! Sorry I didn't realize it was today. I was thinking it was tomorrow! Haha I am doing pretty good. I am sleepy a lot and sore at the big incision and have some bruising. I don't have much gas so that's good. Just trying to get my Protein and Water in.

Mine lasted about 2 hours. Did labs, EKG, told me everything that was going to happened. I was supposed to talk with the anesthesiologist but he was running behind and I didn't want to wait. I asked if they did a leak check but my doctor doesn't unless he felt there was reason for it. The one thing I would suggest packing was Chapstick for the hospital. I forgot that and really wish I would have had some. Good luck!!! Thank you meganmom! Everything went GREAT today!! I love my surgeon, he has the best bed side manner ever and despite the 10 pound weight gain, he told me to enjoy my Christmas and he would see me on the 28th. Going today has just made me even more excited about this life style choice I chose! All I did today as far as tests go was labs. He said he would do a leak test, get a sample of my liver (if its fatty or abnormal) and put a scope down my throat to check it but all that will be done while I'm under anesthesia. How are you doing?

You may want to have your Thyroid checked. Sounds like you could be Hyperthyroid but I am not a doctor. I am hypothyroid which causes weight gain and hyper causes weight loss

I would just say that at this point, there's not a whole lot you can do to "fix" it. What is done is done. Just go into your appt and be open and honest with the surgeon. There's a chance he might cancel your surgery or post pone it, but I think the better bet is he'll just tell you to go on your liquid diet now and not fret about it. Unfortunately holiday weight gain is a problem that led many of us down this path and the only cure is to not to...which is easier post op.

Many thanks to all that replied…Here's an update on me. The first thing I did was have an attitude adjustment with myself - I was feeling sorry for myself and discouraged. So, I pulled on my big girl panties and marched on…I changed my mindset from "this sucks", "the weight gain sucks", etc. to looking at this as an opportunity. There are people that have things much worse than I do - I have a great life, full support of family, a great job and a husband, son and dog that love me. I am blessed. I did well yesterday with the two appetite suppressants - I didn't feel weird, maybe a little jacked up (I also woke up this morning at 4:00 am wide awake). I had very little food yesterday compared to a normal day lately - I quickly realized how much I have been grazing. Today - same story. Very little interest in food. I feel like I'm feeling my restriction better - I'm probably more alert and I am going back to mindful eating. I almost feel like I'm at the 6 month post-op mark - remember those days? So, I'm going to keep on keeping' on for the next 6 weeks with the appetite suppressants until I see my doc for follow up. By that time, I will have had my upper GI and ultra sound on the gall bladder and we will see where the road takes me. Thanks again for the advice, kind words, and suggestions. This is an awesome forum with awesome people - I'm glad I came back.

I was super nervous too because I gained 15 pounds from my last PCP appt. to approval but then lost 5 of it and went to pre-op today and my surgeon didn't even mention the 10 pound weight gain as a matter of fact he told me to enjoy Christmas and he would see me on the 28th. Anyways, bottom line, I fretted over the weight gain for no reason and my insurance didn't require weight loss either.

Different response coming here at you ... If I were in your shoes I'd probably not go the phentermine route based on my personal reaction to phentermine in the past. Yes, it made me lose weight. But the second I got off it my appetite returned worse than ever, resulting in some of the most rapid weight gain I've experienced in all my 70 years. This happened to me not once, but twice. If I struggle with regain I'll have to deal with it somehow other than using phentermine. I never want to be that much out of control again as I was after getting off of diet pills.

Welcome back, nice to see you! I'm right at 2 years, too, so I know how easily that snacking/grazing urge can kind of creep in. And life has also been pretty shitty for me this 2nd year out. One thing that has worked for me, to stop weight gain, drop of few extra pounds and get my head back in the game is to go back to basics. At first just switching to strict Protein and veggies after a particularly carb heavy weekend or holiday did the trick. But then I discovered simply going back to my liquid preop diet was even more effective. If I feel out of control of my eating habits or if I pop even 1 pound above my bounce range, I go back to the beginning. I stay on the strict liquids until I drop back to the bottom of my bounce range. Sticking with liquid Protein shakes and broth for a couple days helps in 3 ways.....clears the carb cravings, kind of tightens up my sleeve's restriction, and shows me I still have to willpower to do this. I find it empowering. A lot of people seem to get the same results with the formal 5 day pouch test. In fact I just did a couple days of liquids (still getting 60-80g protein/70-80oz fluids every day) so I am headed into the holidays at my lowest weight ever. I will snack and eat sweets guilt free next week! The other thing is your gallbladder. After 2 years I finally had mine taken out. Full of stones. Other than 4 seriously painful attacks, I didn't really have any symptoms in between the attacks. But it turns out I was having low grade acid issues because of it. Didn't realize how uncomfortable I was until I wasn't anymore. And I find myself not as "snacky" in the evenings. Good luck with whatever you end up doing!

i've heard of some people not being able to eat dairy due to weight gain, as pretty much one of their only symptoms of an intolerance.

As most of you know I have been dealing with a lot of spine problems that have progressively gotten worse over the last 6 months. I had surgery 4 weeks ago to have an old non working neurostimulator removed. They believed that the surgically placed leads were somehow causing this severe nerve pain across my back and radiating into my right rib cage. Honestly this pain has been some of the worst I have ever felt in my life and having severe osteoarthritis in my spine in other places is pretty severe. This pain is even worse. Anyway, we have to wait another 4 to 6 weeks to do an MRI to ensure they don't address artifacts from the surgery I had. prior to this they did do a CT scan which showed a Schwarnoma (benign tumor) on one of my nerve roots in my thoracic spine. Today when the doc examined me we discovered that I have numbness both on my back and my right front rib cage. He believes it is this Schwarnoma on my T11 level that is causing all of this and is not wanting to order an MRI. Instead he wants me to remain on both Vicodin and now gabapentin to see if that helps. If that don't work he wants to do epidural injections and consider putting a new neurostimulator in. I will not agree to that plan. Anyway, he did say that gabapentin can cause weight gain. I have never taken this drug and I am guessing because of how I eat and my bypass tool, the weight gain should not be an issue. I am wondering if anyone is experiencing weight gain with gabapentin and if so do you have tips and tricks on the weight gain front? I have worked very hard to get nearly to my goal and I am very restricted on exercise. I have to be honest I really am nervous about this approach but I am willing to give it a try because this pain has literally stopped me in my tracks. It has been going on since June and it actually overwhelmed me. I have very good coping skills and I normally would not take narcotics but no matter what I do this particular pain has really gotten the best of me. So I am willing to try it but just wondering if anyone has experience with this drug post operative. Thanks for your help!

I'm sure that he has seen holiday weight gain before. That said, surgeons are quite variable as to what they expect or want of their patients pre-op. Some are really into pre-op diets and "proving you can do it" efforts while others are not. My doc takes the view that "if we could do it on our own, what do we need him for?" and doesn't go in for any pre-op dieting. YMMV Does your doc even require a pre-op diet, or are you going off of what others here online go through with different docs?

I am a little bit nervous about the weight I gained after Thanksgiving holiday. I had my last weigh in on 11-19 and did not get approval until 12-11. I called the surgeons office and a rude receptionist told me that my surgeon was booked for the rest of the year. Well, I gained weight after my last real Thanksgiving and have not been able to get any of it off. My surgeon's office called me today to schedule my consultation for 12-17 and I am nervous about how the surgeon will feel about the weight gain. My insurance Anthem does not require weight loss for the surgery. I am freaking out! Should I really be worried about this since I have not yet started my pre op diet? Btw, my surgery is on 12-28.

Your insurance will probably dictate what and how much you have to lose. My insurance (Aetna) required that I have no net weight gain for my 90 day program. I did better than that. My NUT helped guide me through and I put a nice dent in my weight pre op. I went from 429 down to 386 on surgery day and it didn't feel like I was dieting. It was more of a ok, this month I want you to leave 10% food on your plate and eat protein first and legs aim for 10 mins of exercise 3 days a week. Then the next month we worked on it and went to leave 20% and exercise for 20 mins 5x a week and so on. It really helped. For me, I can usually lose 5-10lbs dieting before it stalls out, so to lose as much as I did and not even have a liquid pre op diet is amazing! I'm now 1 month out and have lost over 70lbs since that first appt in late June. It's been wonderful!

I think you hit the nail-on-the-head with that statement. You lose a lot of muscle mass within the first few months of this surgery. That is one of the reasons that Protein intake is so important. Muscle mass is very dense and it takes up very little space; versus its counter part, fat, that takes up a lot of space. Here recently, I have been trying very hard to add on mass to make up for the little bit of skin that I have flapping around in my arms. I finally managed to add an 15 pounds. Despite my weight gain, I remained the EXACT same size. Why? Because my fat content went down and I added on muscle mass. Look don't sweat this. You're still a newbie with your sleeve. Continue educating yourself and retraining yourself to eat correctly; fueling your body with the right foods and the right amount of protein. You are not going to learn this or get there overnight. That is why most doctors tell their patients to take the FIRST YEAR to reteach and relearn how to eat. Also, take this time to formulate a habit of exercise. Incorporate some weight training in there. It is very hard for women to gain muscle, so learning to lift heavy could be something you could do to help gain that prized muscle mass. The great thing about muscle: the more you have, the more you lose. Your body burns more calories working to maintain its muscle mass, than it does trying to maintain fat. So, the muscle you have, the more calories you burn. Okay, side-tracked conversation is now over. Good luck to you. And remember, with a little bit of education and a routine of healthy eating and exercise, YOU WILL GET THERE!!!

hi guys. sorry i been off - i just been kinda bitchy lately bout the whole surgery/weight thing. i'm fine tho. hit onderland today and have no real complaints bout the weight loss since i'm not really trying that hard and i'm still losing. i mean i try a little - i don't eat carbs that much and i don't pig out (not possible anyways) and i work out sometimes but i'm not killing myself so i'm not upset bout the weight. i guess my biggest gripe is i don't really enjoy food anymore and i can't really eat solid/dry things. i can't really eat bread or solid meat (steak etc). but on the other hand i don't really watch what i eat either. i been living on summer sausage and cheese lately. summer sausage isn't exactly low fat and it's yummy so that's kinda nice. i don't feel like i'm being deprived. and when i do eat/drink something bad like a gatorade or whatever i don't feel that bad. i worked out this am and had a Protein shake and am starting on my Water so i can try to get back on the straight and narrow. i wanted to be 180 by december 15th but that didn't happy. but hey i'm only 19lbs away from that so i'll knuckle down these next few weeks and push it. i feel pretty decent physically. as far as how i look. but 180 would make me feel REALLY decent lol. good thing is i'm not worried about holiday eating cuz i can't eat any of that stuff anyways. in our family it's usually a pork roast and rice and fried plantains and i can't really eat any of that so i'm not worried bout holiday weight gain. sad i can't enjoy it but it is what it is. i'm trying to enjoy other things but i never realized how many things in life are centered around eating. let's "go out to dinner" is always the thing people ask you when you're going to socialize. or let's grab a drink (i can't/don't really drink anymore either) so it's like. ummmm....ok. now what? but it's all good. i'm coming to terms with it. the skinnier i get the easier it is to deal with the sacrifices lol. happy holidays all.

Fortunately, my husband is supportive of the changes I've made in my diet which are reflected in the foods that stock my kitchen. Junk food is replaced with healthy protein - based snacks and shakes. If we do splurge it's usually when eating out where we can split something and no leftovers are brought home. I haven't been hungry for the " trigger" foods but why take the chance? I get plenty of chances to exercise discipline at work where the cookies and doughnuts show up this time of year???? I don't think of this lifestyle as a diet anymore, since diets have a beginning and an end , usually accompanied by weight gain. I'm trying for sustained change in food preferences and in making exercise a part of my daily life.

For many of us, we have (or used to have, before surgery), trouble passing up food. If you’re a mindless muncher, you drift towards anything that’s lying around, whether or not you’re hungry. That’s definitely a habit that contributed to my weight gain! If you’re an emotional eater, you can dive for whatever looks good at the time you need comfort. Mindless muncher or emotional overeater, any junk food in the kitchen can call to you and throw a wrench in your healthy eating plans. The best strategy is to get rid of the junk food and only keep healthy, non-trigger foods around…but that’s not always possible if your family protests! It could be your kids wanting certain snack foods around, or your spouse needing his stash of potato chips or leaving leftover take-out in the fridge. For whatever reason, it can be harder to lose weight if your kitchen isn’t “clean.” So, does your kitchen support weight loss? Is it stocked only with healthy foods? Or is there a stockpile of trigger or junk foods that threaten to sneak their way into your diet? How do you deal with your family’s “required” junk foods?